Takes the Cake

As I scanned the two-page menu at CoraFaye’s, a Southern-cooking hole in the wall tucked into a busy commercial strip of Colorado Boulevard, I kept one eye on the dessert table. It was laden with nearly half a dozen old-fashioned cake stands displaying frosted layers of double chocolate, red velvet, and coconut cream-cheese cake, not to mention cobblers and pies. These homespun cakes were studded with walnuts, sprinkled with coconut flakes, and dripped with swirls of hand-frosted, sugary goodness—I was definitely ordering dessert.

And I had every intention of saving room—until my platter of cornmeal-crusted, pan-fried catfish with side orders of black-eyed peas and tender collard greens arrived. Like the items on my plate, much of CoraFaye’s food is crafted from 100-year-old family recipes and carefully rendered by chef, owner, and Alabama native Priscilla Smith. Open since 2006, CoraFaye has a hodgepodge menu—daily specials include pigs’ feet and oxtail—that matches the kitschy decor, complete with wood paneling, sticky plastic tablecloths, and doilies.

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But the mélange of food and sights blends well in the soft light cast by individual table lamps. Diners nestled in intimate booths or around family-style tables contentedly dig in to heaping plates of crispy fried chicken or pulled-pork sandwiches with sides of cornbread and creamy macaroni and cheese.

When I pushed my platter away—scraped clean, thank you very much—Smith meandered into the dining room, as she often does, wearing an apron and a smile. “Did you leave room for a slice of our cake today?” she asked. I glanced over at the cake table again and nodded greedily. Waistline be damned. Within minutes, a forkful delivered dense, but not heavy, coconut cake—its every frosted crumb the nostalgic bite of goodness I had hoped it would be. 2861 Colorado Blvd., 303-333-5551, www.corafayes.com